“This is not a decision I have taken lightly,but the last four years have been heavy lifting across the organisation during the toughest of times. We are in the midst of the next phase of our transformation program and there is a lot to do and an initial public offering to deliver,” Hrdlicka said.
She did not provide a specific exit date or the reason why she is leaving.
Hrdlicka has run the airline since it was bought out of administration by Bain Capital for $3.5 billion in November 2020. She also chairs the board of Tennis Australia. She joined Virgin from A2 Milk in 2020 and had formerly held key leadership positions at rival airline Qantas,including as head of its loyalty program,and as Jetstar chief executive.
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“The next phase of this journey is another three to five years,making now the perfect juncture to begin the process of leadership transition to deliver the next few chapters of what I’m sure will be a significant long-term success story,” Hrdlicka said.
The airline had been considering relaunching Virgin on the Australian Securities Exchange in the first half of this calendar year,although Bain has not confirmed this plan publicly.
A Bain spokesperson declined to comment about how Hrdlicka’s departure would affect this timeline,but sources close to the company said it was unlikely the business would consider an initial public offer until a new chief executive was appointed.